Community of Hope Lay Chaplain Training

Do you want to deepen your relationship with God? Do you want to strengthen your ability to handle difficult circumstances in your everyday life? Do you want to be a better listener—to God, to your own heart, to your neighbor? Then, the Community of Hope might be for you!

The Community of Hope training awakens participants to God’s call on their lives through experiential discovery and understanding of their own spiritual gifts for ministry. Each student is encouraged to make a journey into wholeness. More than the absence of illness, a healthy person is one who has discovered meaning and purpose in life and understands the importance of mind, body, spirit balance. All are invited to develop their own “rule of life” while exploring sacred silence, Christian meditation, compassionate listening, lectio divina and pastoral identity. The program is rooted in Benedictine Spirituality and is based on the classic “clinical pastoral education” model used to train chaplains.

The experience builds community and develops spiritually centered pastoral caregivers, equipped for ministry in multiple settings, including their own families, workplace and civic organizations, as well as in traditional ministry settings such as the congregation, hospitals, nursing homes and hospice.

Registration deadline is January 10. For more information and to request an application, please contact Beverly at [email protected]. Classes will be held at Christ the King Lutheran Church on Monday evenings starting January 27 and concluding on April 15. Cost is $120 which includes all materials. (Scholarships are available). Learn more about COHI at www.cohinternational.org.